Spaghettis alle Vongole: Italian colors in your plate

A summer in Italy...

Italy has probably the ranking of specialties which are interpreted all over the world! Consider just the pizza, it has almost become international! Different areas of the world have local variations on the type of pizzas. 

This remember me that I ate the most spicy pizza I’ve ever eaten (I mean for my own taste) ... It was in Haiti a few years ago in Port au Prince (the main town) and also to the Haitian Cap . 
My cousin was very happy to invite my sister and I to a “western restaurant” to eat something different from the traditional “di ri ak ti poi” (rice and peas),that I love too. 
At the restaurant we ordered pizzas ... But we couldn’t eat them at all! They were not bad but so hot. It was like to have fire in your mouth! With the usual ingredients as ham, mushrooms and cheese, they added thin slices of Habanero pepper.  
Just to remember,Habanero pepper is the strongest of the world. It is graded 10 which is the top. I really suffered that day.

 Pastas have known the same destiny as pizzas. They are cooked everywhere and there is a multitude of pasta recipes. Everyone adores them.

In one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Paris, in Montmartre (in the district Les Abbesses), they serve an unpretentious Spaghetti alle Vongole to die for! This dish is sufficient in itself and as many Italian meals it doesn’t require lot of ingredients but good quality.

So here's how I do it.

Notes:

This recipe needs about 30 minutes of preparation. I use wine in my recipe, but it can be done without it. Just remove it from the recipe if you don’t use alcohol. Please try to use a good olive oil if you can.

Ingredients : (serve 4)

• 1kg of clams
• 450 gr of spaghetti or linguine
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 10 cl of white wine
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 1 sprig of cherry tomatoes
• 2.5 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt

Method:

Check clams and discard any that are opened.

Soak clams 30 minutes in a large container of water and lemon

Then wash several times with cold water. And drain.

Cut the garlic into small pieces .

Wash and chop finely the parsley. Book.

Clean and cut the cherry tomatoes in half .

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, add ¾ of the chopped garlic and let it brown without burning.

Add the clams, stir well and cover the pan. Cook until the clams are opened. They will release their water.

Pour the white wine in the clams pot and mix well, reduce heat if necessary.

Add the chopped parsley and stir. Continue cooking 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Cook the pasta as indicated on the package not overcooked.

Drain but do not rinse the pasta and set aside.

Pour the pasta into the pan containing the clams and mix well.

Salt to taste and mix again.

Use the rest of olive oil to  fry the ​​cherry tomatoes and the remaining garlic.

Add the tomatoes on each plate and serve immediately.

I hope you will enjoy this trip in Italy

Tips:

To avoid the pastas to become dry I keep a little water in their pan before using them.